So, I went through the comments from yesterday and it is pretty apparent the least popular player at Arsenal this season appears to be our 26 goal striker, Emannuel Adebayor.
Strange?
I said yesterday I thought he would become a great player for the club, but apparently 70% of you disagree.
So let’s go through the pro’s and cons of Adebayor and see if we can come to a conclusion as to why Shannon Matthews Mum appears to more popular than our dearest Togolese goal machine.
What we like about him:
- He scores against the big teams. For many years we have had to put up with a striker who was the greatest in the world until a big game popped up… Now we have King Ade who mostly likes to score against the big guns… Milan, Man U, Liverpool… so on and so forth.
- He works his bollocks off. No matter how many times he fucks up, he just keeps plugging away at it. He runs up and down all day, he harries, he gets in peoples faces and he does it all without picking up too many bookings or red cards.
- He briefly helped us forget about Thierry. Don’t pretend you didn’t think at one point this season we had found a new goal scoring hero. I certainly did, he was banging them in for fun and was neck and neck with Ronaldo for a while. People also love the fact that for the first time in ten years, we have an aerial threat.
- We like the fact that he speaks English… but you still need subtitles. Have you ever heard anyone talk so fast in your life? I wonder how much the BBC have to pay someone to translate whatever the hell he is saying?
- We have a great song for him… yes, the Arsenal fans made up a new song which is quite fun to sing. Kind of like one nil to the Arsenal, but more Adebayorish.
What we don’t like about him:
- His constant reference to Thierry Henry. When I break up with a girlfriend, I don’t want the new one to keep talking about her… especially if I really liked the old one. I actually did a count up of interviews… he did 38 between September and February and in 37 of them he spoke about his respect/love for Thierry. That was a complete lie… but you would have believed it if I’d left it in.
- He needs 4 clear cut chances to get a goal. I don’t know the exact stats, but I know Ray Gooner will dig them out for me later. People will say Thierry used to have to most shots on target and the most off in the Premiership… Thierry rarely missed guilt edged chances and Thierry would score half his goals from half chances.
- He has an ego larger than Usmanovs fat gut. Can you imagine at 23 years old (He was that old when he said it) saying that you would keep Eto’o and Thierry on the bench if they were at your club? That is like saying I could whip up a spread sheet better than Bill Gates… my V-Lookups just don’t match up… just like Ade’s footballing skills don’t compared to Thierry’s.
- That he keeps straying offside and it looks like it is down to his lazyness at not getting back. I think that is what narks people. It is an effort to stay onside, and when you see a Premiership footballer caught offside 4 times in 16 minutes (Cheers Ethan) it gets your back up a bit. Oh and while I’m at it, I don’t like the hands on hips prima donna thing he does as well… that really peeves me (nice word…).
- His goals disappeared with his hair! That was a crap point, but it is a mysterious coincidence…? One for Scoob and the gang I feel.
Daphne offered herself up easily after she found out Shaggy was left mid for Arsenal
So my conclusion is this.
Adebayor is not the lead striker at Arsenal. Like no one expected Arsenal to contend this year, no one expected Ade to turn into one of the most feared strikers in the league. He has done a hell of a job this year. If I’d told you that Rio and JT would say they hate playing against Ade the most and he’d score 26 goals this year… you’d have laughed me out off of this site!
At the same time you can’t deny his dip in form has been costly. It’s great scoring 26 goals, but going along the ‘You’re only as good as your last game’ line of things, even the fiercest Ade fan would have trouble defending his form of late. It’s been shoddy to say the least.
For me, the disdain for Ade comes down to the fact that no one rated him before he started scoring… then he silenced the doubters… then he started trapping off in the media about being the best… then he stopped scoring… then the doubters came back with a vengeance.
Being humble can win you many fans, Ade failed to learn that trick from Thierry and now he is paying for it. So he either picks himself up, dusts himself off and starts to play like a man who wants to prove the doubters wrong again… or he carries on as he has been and loses his place to Theo, Bendtner or Eduardo.
That is what having a good squad (I use that term loosely) is all about, and if one of the others starts doing the business next year, I hope Ade isn’t too arrogant to realise Wenger will bench him (I wrote that sentence fully aware Wenger doesn’t drop his favourites).
So onto things of a more tranfer like nature.
Juve and Bayern are interested in the Flamster.
Who’d trust Juve eh? One minute they don’t want Flamini… now they do? That’s Match fixers for you…
‘We have not yet made him an offer, but we are thinking about it.’
Can we be surprised if he leaves? No way… He is 24 and about to embark on the most important contract of his career. If Juve offer him £4million a year and Arsenal offer him half, he’d be a fool not to take it… but beware the ex Arsenal player curse, the grass is NEVER greener on the other side!
How about this for some suggestive linkage… as Matty considers leaving… Gattuso may consider coming!
‘La Repubblica says Gattuso is seriously considering asking away at the end of this season.’
Why not, he is 30 (Chav Mak is 34 and still doing the business)… he would be a mighty fine stop gap if the worst was to happen. What the hell, he’d be a mighty fine signing regardless of what Flamini ends up doing. You couldn’t get a better leader in the middle of the park, he is experienced, speaks English and has more medals than most players in world football today.
It is just a thought, why not discuss it in the comments section along with your thoughts on Ade. It could be fun, and that’s what Le Grove is all about.
Have a great day.
Le Grove is now smart phone compatible!
Pedro
Geoff
April 15, 2008 at 09:13
I would have to say that Ade’s height makes him an aerial threat but it also hinders him when in tight spots in the box when we play our intricate football, he doesn’t have the agility to work himself a yard to get a shot off and also not to mention his first touch/trapping of the ball is not up to scratch…i agree that he has performed extremely well up till a couple of months ago, but do u really see him leading the line at the top level for 8 years like Thierry or Wrighty did for the gunners???
April 15, 2008 at 09:16
Gattuso Would be ideal,
Sell
Ade, useless creature & could hinder other players.
Hoyte
Gilberto
Djourou
RVP
Rosiscky
Lehamn
In
Jasskleninen
Gomes (Psv keeper)
Digogo
Capael
Zapapta
Veloso
Afelay
Benzeema or Podolski
Gattusu (only if Flamimini leaves)
Gourcuff
Why so many players SIMPLE competition in squad. Wenger has gone a LA LA in the head if he does not buy seasoned players.
April 15, 2008 at 09:22
I wish people would lay off Ade. He works so hard, holds up the ball fantastically, is great in the air, batters defences to allow others space and scores lots of goals too. Yes he misses a lot but so does rooney, so does torres, the key thing is he scores late in games which indicates that he doesnt give up. He has the attributes to be the complete forward – power, pace, skill, can score with both feet, great in the air with a superb attitude. He needs to work on first touch and composure so he can add to his 26 goals. The really good thing is he is still young and has the potential to be as good as drogba (who also took a long time to get where he is). The real problem is that we have had to rely on him too much this year – bentdner is at best a good sub & with injuries to RVP & Eddie he has played more games than he should have done.
April 15, 2008 at 09:22
Did anyone watch our reserves last night…….. ayoung U18 side ripped Derby apart and looked awsome, especially the little 15/16 year old centre midfielder Jack Wilshere who quite simply looked like the best young midfielder I have ever seen !
And for the last 3 or 4 games, Traore has been playing as a left winger and in fairness he looks a natural, in fact, he looks a fucking awsome winger, so fast, but also didn’t realise how much skill he had……. the only thing he has to improve on is his shooting !
The goal scoring phenominom, Rhys Murphy continued his come back with 2 goals in a 20 minute cameo as well !!!!!
Maybe Wenger is right, maybe we only need one player, because some of these youngsters look as good as ready !!!!
April 15, 2008 at 09:23
And Djourou and Nordtveit looked magnificent as a centre back pairing !!!!!
April 15, 2008 at 09:25
All those who want to bash Adebayor go ahead, but we wouldn’t even be where we are without his goals. We need a better striker, someone who who already scores 20+ a season on a regular basis, but his role in the team is important. He’s a johnny come lately as far as being a top scorer, and at 23 you can’t blame him for thinking that he’s unstoppable…..I’m sure many of us felt the same at that age.
When someone who has the experience and the first touch for his role comes in, we’ll see how useful he is in helping out.
There has not been enough distribution of goals in the team of late as well, we relied on Adebayor as a crutch so it’s no surprise that he’s the first to blame when things don’t work out as well as we’d hope.
No goals from Eboue, not enough from Hleb or Flamini (there are players who play his position who regularly score four or 5), Fabregas has dried up. Our defence has capitulated thanks to having a soft headed captain who does no organising on the pitch. To make Ade the scapegoat is overlooking many things. We expected an apple from Ade, not a whole bowl of fruit. He gives us a whole bowl and we want another one.
Adebayor is doing a job he wasn’t supposed to……when we get that player then we can really assess Adebayor’s contribution, and so far it has exceeded everyones expectations.
April 15, 2008 at 09:26
I heard about this last night!
Do you think Arsene is planning to play Traore as a left winger next year?
He is big, fast and full of tricks? Could he be the answer or are we dreaming?
Does Nordveit look big enough yet? Where did Wilshere play?
Could any of them realistically take on the establishment?
Johnny, I think Ade’s poor control hinders our fast flowing football for sure.
April 15, 2008 at 09:26
Bud did u not see traore’s goal last week, a absolute belter!!!!!
April 15, 2008 at 09:30
Im a fan of Adebayor, the guy is not a natural goalscorer and yet he’s scored 26 goals for us this season. There are many occasions this season when he’s given top defenders like Ferdinand and Terry a real torrid time, maybe people rather than vent there fury at him look at the manager for continuing to play him on his own up front when Ade really should have someone to play alongside. If we are going to get on the backs of players who have dips in form then we also have Fabregas who’s hardly set the world alight since January, Toure who’s been poor since ACN and Eboue who frankly has had no form all season. Throw in to the mix perenial sick notes like Rosicky and Van Persie and mistake magnets like Senderos and we have a nice list of others who can take some flak aswell.
April 15, 2008 at 09:30
Adebayor should be kept, I don’t think you can get rid of a guy that has scored nearly thirty goals in the season. On his day he is a real handful for any defence, although I do admit I find it very hard to warm to him. There is something about him that I don’t like! Strange.
Just read Wenger calling this team amazing. I am really worried he is losing the plot and it’s not nice to see. We have embarked on a run of relegation form at the most crucial part of the season (8 points from 8 games) and have not played any decent football in the premier league since December, as well as being humiliated by an aggregate score of 9-1 by two of our biggest rivals in the domestic cups. Throw in Liverpool in the CL and that’s thirteen goals against in exiting the cups. Quite a feat really.
Frankly amazing is not the word I am looking for to describe this team. I don’t want Wenger to go, I just don’t want to be treated like a child by him, which it feels like is happening.
I need the summer holidays!
April 15, 2008 at 09:31
I know Traore scored last week, and I am not saying he cant score, but he looked that good last night, if he could just hone his technique in front of goal a bit more, I think we are talking Ronaldo proportions of a player here……. he was simply unstoppable and should really have scored 4 or 5 last night himself. So good were we in the second half, we could have scored double figures, it was frighteningly phenominal !
Wilshere played centre mid Pedro. He has so much skill and ability it is almost gasgoinesque and for such a little fella, he puts it about as well !!!!!
April 15, 2008 at 09:34
Gattuso is too old and not fast enough for Arsenal. Keep Ade, he is a good back-up.
April 15, 2008 at 09:37
Wilshere will be the next Fabregas, but better and amazingly, English !
Mark my words….. Even Banfield when asked about who to watch out for before the game said “Wilshere, he is something very special” !!!!!!!!!
April 15, 2008 at 09:38
I refuse to get excited anymore, no one gave us a chance this season someone said, well that’s good as we won fuck all.
Next season, I’m expecting nothing again as he’s only going to sign one player, even Ferguson says he’ll buy more players, you know Chelsea will, so we’ll stand still again and every AKB out there will say but we over achieved again.
For the record I think Ade will come good and the Flamster will stay, Gattuso will be a great back up though, but as I said Wenger said he won’t buy.
April 15, 2008 at 09:39
yeah wilshire looks amazing like hleb only he can shoot in 2to3years time this kid is gonna be in the arsenal firtst XI
April 15, 2008 at 09:43
he’s only 16 and hes ripping it up in the reserves
April 15, 2008 at 09:44
The mancs and the chavs will strengthen for sure… as will Liverpool.
But Arsenal don’t need to? Its madness.
Geoff, Gattuso could be our 1 signing… he is experienced!
Maybe Arsene means 22 years old when he says experienced?
Apparently our scouts watched Ben Arfa/Benzema last night… I don’t know how much truth is in that though?
I can’t see any of the kids coming through next year. All the good ones are under 18’s. They wont get in for another 3 years? We don’t have anyone on the verge of the first team do we?
I’m with you on Ade and the Flamster.
April 15, 2008 at 09:47
Finest Cuts,
I agree with you that Ade has been our only ‘go to guy’ this season due to the injuries to RVP and Eduardo but lets not forget that many a time this season we have deployed a 4-5-1 formation with usually hleb feeding off just behind Ade, we always play this formation in the CL and Ade’s contribution has been two goals in the CL. Wenger uses this formation so the midfield can ‘up’ their passing game and control the tempo of the midfield, this must mean that the majority of our play will come centrally and be looking to gain advantages in tight spots around the 18 yard area to get as close to a goal scoring chance as possible. For me Ade is simply not talented in that department. A while back we had Sagna making surging runs up the right providing width and whipping in some decent crooses for Ade to attack which made him a genuine goal threat…since Sagnas injury he has not had that option available to him (eboues constant failure to deliver any crosses for him, dont know why??), which is why he has been receiving the ball to feet and his horrid first touch has become visible for everybody to see. If we are going to play 4-5-1 with Ade in the team we must play with some width ( Sagna, Walcott) for his chances to goals ratio to increase….wat do u think???
April 15, 2008 at 09:49
actually i think nacer barazite will be in the first team next season
April 15, 2008 at 09:53
I think experience to Wenger is 22 Pedro and experienced in their position, so myabe Ben Arfa, but Lyon only let their players go for huge sums, given the players they have sold over the years, perhaps we ought to employ their scouts.
As for Ade, his aerial power gave us the plan B we bitched about not having for years, don’t forget.
April 15, 2008 at 09:56
I can not understand why the Flamster would want to go to Milan or Bayern, I just hope they sort his contract out soon it is obvious he wants to stay at Arsenal and the premier league is the strongest in the world now with the most money and endorsement potential.The lad is a smart cookie and is obviously angling for a huge rise and I think he deserves it his performances week in and out have been superb.
April 15, 2008 at 10:05
Flamini pissed all over Gattuso in the CL gainst Milan .. please guys .. lets be reasonable .. I rather have TH14 back than Gattuso
April 15, 2008 at 10:12
For me Eboue has to be the worst player on the team – poor performances, diving, lack of imagination, he doesn’t even use all the pace he has enough. He should be bursting past players and getting some crosses in. He’s useless
April 15, 2008 at 10:15
One bad game doesn’t mean you are past it.
I remember Carrick dicking over Vieira when he played for West Ham when he was young, you wouldn’t have said he automatically became the best player.
If you want a leader, who would be better? He’d be great back up for the inevitable injury pile up. The mancs have Carrick and Hargreaves, we could have the flamster and Gattuso.
April 15, 2008 at 10:16
Has Mat been watching? The idea that Adebayor holds the ball up well is so far from the truth I wonder if anyone who actually attends could say such a thing. Adebayor works hard sometimes and sometimes he loafs. He plays for himself and if we going to continue to play intricate football to get past defences the fellow playing as the fulcrum at centre-forward (to use an old fashioned phrase) must be able to maintain possession. All to often we take 20 passes to get the ball as far up the field as Adebayor who then promptly loses it or is offside. I do agree with those who are concerned about the comments coming from our manager. We are short in so many areas. We need a top-class goalkeeper, a good centre-back, goals from wide positions and replacements for RVP and Rosicky. I know how good they are but playing a small part of every season fully fit is hopeless.
April 15, 2008 at 10:23
i would like gattuso but only as a back up for when flamini is out and to replace Gilberto,
Ade’s has played up front on his own and apart from his san siro performance he hasnt looked as dominant as he should, and as we play our best football with Hleb behind the striker, you cant see Wenger changing that, so i would like to see a striker who is more suited to playing the lone man upfront (even though ade’s physique is built for that role), someone like i said yesterday who can finish off the chances we create
any thoughts?
April 15, 2008 at 10:26
On a sunny afternoon in Birmingham, the boy wonder Theo has put the Arsenal 2-1 up, Adebayor gets put trough, simple pass across the box to Bendtner puts Arsenal 3-1 up, going back to london with the 3 points….instead he ties to to do a ‘thierry’ finish and fluffs his lines and we all know what happens after that…..
Carling cup – comes on to the pitch at 4-0 down and headbutts Bendtner , even worse in front of all them muggy yids
Sunday – misses a great chance to score by trying the same type of finish that he CANT do…….loses concentration, gets outmuscled by Anderson, tries to recover by wrapping his legs round him, any higher or harder and he is getting sent off with the game still to play for.
What im trying to say is that, yes, he has been the lone ranger up front this season and has scored a considerable amount of goals……but what happens next season if another top level striker comes to the club….is he just not going to pass to him because he has been the main man this season??…… or is his problem with Bendtner and does he have to go??????
April 15, 2008 at 10:32
Mark, I was thinking about having Gattuso and Flamini in our preferred 4-5-1… imagine the two of them? We’d be awesome. If the flamster gets injured, Gattuso steps in… Rotation of your players… I think it would be a great idea!
Imagine how excited them players would be? Playing with a legend of the game… all that experience. He has won everything at Milan.
Johnny, it seems the whole team hates Nikki B, but as long as he is changing games when he comes on, he’ll stay. I quite like him, he doesn’t give a fuck about popularity.
I’d be interested to see hoe Ade reacts to being benched… if it ever happened. I just wish one of the other strikers would step up to the plate.
April 15, 2008 at 10:39
I agree with u pedro, i think Bendtner is very level headed and his performances are encouraging,
but would u sacrifice him for another striker, say sending him on loan to Ajax for a year now we have linked up with them, and getting someone in with a goalscoring record??
April 15, 2008 at 10:39
New one in the funnies for you!
Fucking random to say the least!
April 15, 2008 at 10:41
The reserves did look quite impressive yesterday but don’t forget Derby’s team have been woeful all season & the whole team was youngsters (the oldest of which was 19). Our team may also have been young but we have loads of experience in Djourou, Traore, Denilson, Hoyte & Fabianski. I was a little unsure about Nordveit’s performance, I was actually wondering whether he lacks pace like Senderos & his positional play was poor at times (but then he was out a long time injured), the one thing you certainly cannot doubt is his passing ability, that is superb!! Sunu from what I’ve seen so far looks like a much shorter version of Adebayor, very poor first touch & his shooting is wild at best. Wilshere should be in the first team squad for the rest of the season, he looks pretty amazing & whilst most people will say he’s too young, he isn’t. If Rooney can play first team football at 15/16 so can this kid!!
Only disappointment for me was that Kyle Bartley wasn’t in the squad. I haven’t managed to see this guy yet but he is supposed to be as good as Micah Richards!!
April 15, 2008 at 10:42
Johnny, how can you send him to Ajax… it would be like getting a demotion.
The same goes for Theo, once you’ve given them a taste, you can’t send them out on loan really.
I think Nikki B is very close to being ready. I would love to sign someone with a great record, but who? Benzema isn’t proven and some serious flops have come out of france after being prolific.
Hopefully Eddie and RvP will be the 30 goal a season strikers. Eddie would have got 20 had he not been brutally assaulted.
Have we actually got a tie in with Ajax?
I reckon if we sold Nikki, we’d regret it.
April 15, 2008 at 10:54
I don’t think we need to ell him Pedro, our striker attendence record is appalling, there’s always someone injured, GMR is he’s good enough he should play, from what you say though, we need a center back unless Bartley is the one.
April 15, 2008 at 10:56
True i didnt consider that!! i dont want the guy to go..
But im sure like every other gooner, i sit here and i ask myself are the strikers we have good enough?. YES. Is eduardo a goal poacher?. YES. Is ade a genuine aerial threat that we have been asking for? YES. Has RVP got the skill and has he got a free kick like a hammer? YES. Has Theo got jets on his heels?. YES. YES. YES!!!
So who do we sign?? We all know injuries have fucked us/theo not starting many games/bendtners rookie season…but how do we safeguard ourselves for next season to almost guarantee we do not end up on our knees coming in to the last quarter of the season??? Bearing in mind we do not get many goals from midfield…..
Its enough to make me want to pull my hair out, and i’ve got a skinhead!!!!
April 15, 2008 at 10:58
Hello chaps. Another fucking trophy disappears since the last time I was on. This is getting all too familiar. What was the consensus of opinion about O.T? I thought we played very well again. Same old story unfortunately.
April 15, 2008 at 11:01
Hi Steve, suicide Sid and Mr I’m in denial spring to mind!
April 15, 2008 at 11:01
I Cant wait for next year’s Carling Cup.
We’ll just need a lil more experience and a real leader and not one that sits at the half way line. Another Left Winger, And Maybe Another Striker.
I Miss Eddie! Come Quick!
April 15, 2008 at 11:02
http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=news&article=490312&cpid=703&title=Wenger+-+I%27m+not+afraid+to+pay+out+big+money+this+summer
mmmmmmmmmmmm?????
April 15, 2008 at 11:02
CAROL,wel said man….’EBO FUCKING UE’ is just useless , and i don’t see why is he playing as a ‘right midelfield’…!!!!!!he might be a good back- up for B.sagna as a right back …but i really think he should fuck off .
April 15, 2008 at 11:06
A chink of light Steve???
April 15, 2008 at 11:06
Ade is only a plan b if your getting your lions share of crosses supplied in the 6 yard box ! Still out there in the final 3rd he’s lost .. cant pass – can shoot – refuses to pass to ANY strike partner .. and in our last game against chevski terry was all over him .. did he score ? or ever look like it ?
Its pretty hard to score when ade’s your partner ! as he never has possession for long enough to do anything with it ! or he runs into dead ends ..
So please any person saying no other person stepped up .. well consider the above facts before you say RVP still is not 100% .. In the EPL please tell me this season when he has scored agaist a top 4 side ??????
and it was 4 offsides in 8 minutes and 39 seconds
April 15, 2008 at 11:07
ADE IS USELESS HE DONT LIKE PASSING TO EDUARDO AND STUFFS UP MOST OF THE TEAMS EFFORTS.. ARSENE PLS SIGN KLOSE FROM WURDER BREMEN !!! AS WELL AS ETO
April 15, 2008 at 11:10
Last Sunday Ethan?
April 15, 2008 at 11:11
can we please stop talking about Flamini being a squad memeber next season??
also .. in the independent today, article suggested that Cesc wasnt very happy with current package .. its looking decidedly dodgy
April 15, 2008 at 11:16
Fear not guys – Arsene Knows……
Arsene Wenger’s Diary
Monday 14 April
‘Wake up early. I set my alarm clock for later but, naturellement, someone has been in my room during the night and adjusted the time. I will not say who – we will let others judge.
I trip over the rug in my bedroom. The rug is not penalised in any way. If furnishings are allowed to keep getting away with these travesties of justice then it is the end for Arsene.
I am waiting for a package but my postman – who seemed to get himself in a good position – fails to deliver. Is my postman Emmanuel Eboue?
For sure it has not been the best of starts for me but I am working hard to make sure that nothing bothers me anymore but getting on with the job. I have lunch with my friend William at Pizza Express.
I have a Pizza a la Noci, but William doesn’t want anything off the children’s menu. I try to tell him he must have something and he goes out the door and sits on a traffic island for the next three hours. He is an excellent role model to my young team.
Next I meet Phillipe Senderos on a street corner. It is good to see him. However as soon as we leave that corner I lose him very easily and he spends the rest of the afternoon about ten yards away from me at all times. It is very frustrating.
I return to my car to find that a penalty fine has been given against me. Strange how all the other cars on the street have not been given tickets and yet they are all parked too.
The traffic warden tells me they are not parked on double yellow lines like mine. I tell him that I know what is going on, I am not stupid. He asks me what I mean and I smile and say ‘Let us think our own thoughts, mon ami.’
It takes me an age to get to the training ground. All the traffic lights are against me. Red and yellow lights everywhere, but only for me.
Finally I arrive and I’m greeted by my squad of wonderful players. Adebayor and Bendtner are holding hands and laughing and joking as usual.
Jens Lehmann is giving everyone fine words of encouragement as befits his status as our senior professional. Young Theo is coming on leaps and bounds with his French A-levels.
I call the boys together and tell them they are all winners. They play the best football. Then we play my favourite practising game ‘Twenty Passes Before You Can Score.’
Hoyte is terrible at this. Adebayor suggests we practise our free-kicks and corners – then every one falls about laughing! He is a funny guy.
It is great that humour can break the tension. I tell them another joke – that Alex Ferguson is going to buy van Persie for 10 million euros. Why does Robin not laugh?
Then I get serious with the boys. I tell them not to listen to the voices in their head that tell them to be paranoid. I tell them not to be neurotic – just leave that to me.
I tell them not to be concerned for my mental state. I may be a bit wobbly right now but I’m not Tom Hicks. I tell them that we will come back stronger, fitter and better than ever.
Cesc, le petit Espagnol, asks if I will be able to buy anyone in the summer to bolster the squad. I smile and nod. He need not worry. I have my eye on two Malian goat-herders as we speak plus a fine central defender from the Finnish second division.
In five years, I tell him, they will be football Gods comme Cygan et Stepanovs, especially the girl from Helsinki.
During training the boys look sad and tired. Moi aussi. Staying positive in this situation is about as feasible as winning a penalty at Old Trafford.
Sometimes, I think to myself that I am the only one who understood Eric Cantona’s sardines and trawler story. I too have been charting new territory in my elegant vessel the SS Arsenal (it would have been a 747 liner but we had to keep Bergkamp with us in the early years.)
Many have followed us with delight, but many others have tried to peck out the eyes of my vision. There have been stormy waters and troubled times. We were les Invincibles and maintenant, we are les Miserables.
My seagulls are not journalists and reporters. They are the sight-forsaken Rileys and Wileys of this world. These men of selective vision (and I know how that works, believe me!) People accuse me of having a persecution complex but these people are just out to get me.
I am a man of principle. There are ways to play le beau jeu but I know only one. I will not change. And we shall not crumble like an Englishman on the last day of a major golf tournament. And if it never succeeds again then it won’t be my fault.
Because I tell you this, mes amis:
Non, Je ne regrette rien!*
*Except picking Senderos. And moving Toure to right-back. Oh and selling Diarra.’
April 15, 2008 at 11:17
Adebayor is absolutely useless!
I don’t know where some get the idea that Adebayor can hold the ball up.
The team weaves some incredible and intricae passing movements only for the ball to reach the Goofy Giraffe (Adebayor) who is either offside or the ball rebounds of his legs and travels 15 meters back from where it came from!
April 15, 2008 at 11:19
geoff
do you count headering in the ball with your elbow as class ?
it clearly shouldn’t have been a goal ..
prior to that ???
considering he has scored all these class goals against world class sides !?
(yes 2 in the C.L gifted by theo ) But in the EPL ?
to find a goal Vs the top 4 i think you have to go back to a year ago ?
and thats my point its the reverse he only scores against dodgy sides !
April 15, 2008 at 11:22
Geoff, that wasn’t a chink of light!! When you read through it he just says he’s not afraid to spend big, but that he doesn’t have the money to spend big!! Whoever was questioning him should’ve asked what has happened to the 70+ million that Edelman said he had to spend!! It’s getting so frustrating now, the board always insist he has money & then everytime Wenger responds by saying he doesn’t!!
April 15, 2008 at 11:33
Too much stick going on about Ade. Easy target. The two most ineffectual performers this season were Hleb and Eboue. Hleb has no end product and never will, lacks a killer instinct despite the fact he can beat players easily. Get rid. As for Eboue I don’t think theres any more to say.
These players are no where near the class of Pires or Ljungberg in their pomp. Come to think of it Parlour had more to offer. How Arsene can’t see this is a bit of a worry.
As for the Flamster I think any player worth his salt will shine next to Fabregas especially if your remit is to be purely destructive. A very fit hard working destructive midfielder not too disimilar to one Robbie Savage in my opinion. Pay him 50 grand a week, don’t think the boss will fall for that one. For me Diaby is the natural central midfield partner for Cesc, he showed this in his first season before he was done by that twat.
One last thing to add, Jens showed the Arsenal spirit of old causing a bit of niggle with Ronaldo and his penalty, he made vital saves that Almuna wouldn’t of made and stopped Utd pissing all over us with a 4-1 scoreline. Jens might be a bit of an Arsehole but he’s got a bit of bite about him. Something we’ve been lacking for sometime.
April 15, 2008 at 11:35
Scuba, that was very funny! ethan your question was had he scrored, I don’t care how they go in do you!
I would swap him if I had the chance, but love him or loath him, he has scored some goals this season.
GMR I’m just a little desperate and looking for a sign, he mentions Reyes and Jeffers, but he was the one that fucked up there wasn’t he?
April 15, 2008 at 11:38
Interesting take Steve, but I’m not sure about the Savage type, Diaby could be the man though.
The point is we still need numbers and midfield players to have the occasional pop at goal.
April 15, 2008 at 11:45
Sorry South African Gooner, you were awaiting moderation and I didn’t see you, welcome aboard!
April 15, 2008 at 11:45
steve pires.. on Lehman.. fully agreed .. an arsehole he might be, but no fukking Spanish tapas munching clown
April 15, 2008 at 11:47
steve pires your comments about Hleb shock me
Ade’s is getting far to much stick, but critising Hleb (our most creative and forward thinking player is bollocks
April 15, 2008 at 11:53
ethan your question was had he scrored, I don’t care how they go in do you!
Not normally .. but when talking about the guys obvious class and skill of scoring V’s top class sides i think it relevant . 9 times out of 10 if he did that what do you think the decision would be ?
what would he be labeled ?
April 15, 2008 at 11:56
Mark is just an opinion and we’ll all have them, I think we should ask the boss what happened to the £80 million and why isn’t he spending it, either that of cut the price of admission to West Ham’s level, after all they win nothing, but play good football, why don’t their fans get mugged?
April 15, 2008 at 11:58
I make you right Ethan but he won’t sell him, we all know that, same as Senderos and Eboue.
April 15, 2008 at 12:05
I hope it is not in Arsene’s contract that he gets paid more the less he spends on Transfers!
April 15, 2008 at 12:08
one player i want is ribery that guy is fucking class we would win the tile if we buy him and a centerback
April 15, 2008 at 12:13
I agree geoff he wont sell him ..
but i think he should , because unless we go into next season with the same strikers , wengers price on this lad wont get any better than now .. because its clear there is a division between people thinking him being great ( because they only look at his goal tally )and people seeing him as crap (because he hasn’t the skills required to be world class & clearly isn’t arsenal quality)!
CURRENTLY
Maybe your right maybe he will come good someday , but time isn’t something arsene can afford the luxury of !
April 15, 2008 at 12:14
Steve Pires..
I tend to agree regarding Hleb i appreciate he has great close control & can beat people but when does that ever result with him putting ball into the net??? or laying on a plate for someone else???……
The only way to win a football match is too score more than the other team…. not see how many times you can dribble round them. bottom line im afraid
Hleb is our Ronaldo ie. creative attacking midfielder/forward i know which one i would prefer in my team…
April 15, 2008 at 12:15
Geoff thinks David Beckham is the answer on the right !
April 15, 2008 at 12:19
Hold on, just read about this desired player of all you lot – Ben Arfa Fowler…….. he can’t even get in the Lyon first team……… just what we need……. NOT !
April 15, 2008 at 12:22
Has anyone read Arsene’s comments on Arsenal.com?
On signing expensive/star players over the summer:
“If we have the money and I am convinced it is worth it, we will do it.”
IF WE HAVE THE MONEY???!!!!
What the **** is going on?
Everyone at Arsenal is spewing out one report citing our economy being excellent and there being anywhere between 40 – 100£ mio. in the transfer kitty, and that has not even accounted some of the imminent departures this summer.
What is going on???
I am losing patience with the management at Arsenal. It is becoming a joke. And many of the choices (team selection (Eboue????!!!!), transfers (or lack of such), personnel management (why are Keown, Adams, Bergkamp not employed at Arsenal?).
What about the management of the Emirates and protocol on fan behaviour? These appear absurd at best.
Has the club come out with an intent or statement of ambition? What is Wenger’s ambition? Has Arsenal become a money machine for funding ambtious stadium projects and provide the major shareholders while completely ignoring the fans and even the small shareholders.
This once proud club of winners and people of integrity is becoming absurd. I am losing patience. Feel free to call me a fairweather fan, or Arsene basher, or c*** or anything of the sort. But this is my opinion and I am fed up!!!
Pretty football is for fourth place. The world has moved on and apparently mr. Wenger is intent on having things the Arsene way (great economy, lovely football, talented kids – zero trophies!)
Not saying we should be like Chelsea or anyone else, all I am saying is this is Arsenal. And currently, too many aspects of this great organisation are becoming questionalble. (Ie. DD, Usmanov…etc.)
Sorry for being this sceptic, but the frustrations are running high, and I fail to see why we should turn the blind eye to these obvious problems. And that is what they are.
Finally, I support Arsenal FC, not Cesc, Henry or even Wenger. No one is bigger than the team!!
Gus J.
April 15, 2008 at 12:27
Afternoon all,
Just thought I’d point something out….Hleb IS NOT our most creative player as someone mentioned earlier…. Please see below!! He’s got as many assists as Dudu, and look at the amount of assists from Adebayor!!
Interesting stats!!
G A
Abou Diaby 4 2
Alex Hleb 5 8
Cesc Fabregas 13 22
Eduardo 12 8
Emmanuel Adebayor 26 0
Emmanuel Eboue 0 2
Gael Clichy 0 5
Kolo Toure 2 2
Matthieu Flamini 3 3
Nicklaus Bendtner 7 7
Robin Van Persie 8 4
Theo Walcott 5 5
Tomas Rosicky 7 2
April 15, 2008 at 12:31
GONNA P laying on a plate like the 1st half at old trafford to adebayor, or the 3 in the 1st half at anfield which ades was offside for
April 15, 2008 at 12:34
ok sorry 2nd most creative (dont forget cesc does take our corners and free kicks)
April 15, 2008 at 12:38
odub
pretty much proves my point that anyone partnered with ade will have a lean night !
April 15, 2008 at 12:39
I can understand why Hleb is a popular player amongst fans, he is good to watch, head up, good dribbling and appearing creative but if we keep him we will see more of the twenty passes in a row football on the edge of the box whilst the oppostion get their 11 men behind the ball, at this the point the players run out of ideas and pass the ball to the Flamster who duly dispatches it onto platform 9 Kings cross station.
i have had a look at Ben Arfa on youtube. This guy is direct, gets the ball and goes at the defence with pace Walcott style, he can also weigh in with plenty of goals. If you haven’t seen it it’s the video by jejheinho. Can you imagine Hleb picking up that ball at Anfield where Walcott picked it up. Hleb would have taken it to the left wing and than across to right wing. By the time he’d got near the goal the liverpool defence would have been composed and ready.
I hope it is Ben Arfa, he looks like a classic Wenger signing. Failing this we’ll just have to park an ice cream van behind the goals.
April 15, 2008 at 12:40
Nobody seems to be mentioning the fact that Vela joins us in the summer?! Go onto youtube as see the highlights of Real Madrid v Osasuna….He’s the reason Wenger wont be going for Ben Arfa, he playes left mid and was immense. Pacey, two footed and likes to attack defenders. We’re going to love him next season.
I think we need to keep the same squad but add a Vidic-type centreback + a goalkeeper that brings confidence to the back four. Gomes has been linked – great signing.
I also think we should keep Eboue, only for back up to Sagna though…Hoyte is not good enough.
April 15, 2008 at 12:43
Also goes to prove we’ve missed Eduardo’s all round play and Rosicky’s goals.
Mark wI asnt having a pop mate was just looking through this season’s stats and noticed. Like Steve Pires said great player yes, but not direct enough.
April 15, 2008 at 12:44
hey dan is that you ? (aclf ?) !
yes sure vela will come , but arsene has already stated he will fight for a spot .
he wont be an automatic inclusion ..
April 15, 2008 at 12:47
We need to be careful re expectations for Vela.
He’s 19, hardly plays 90 minutes for Osasuna, yes he has scored a handful and did well against Real, but remember this though, different league,culture,language, and he’s only had one season in a top league.
April 15, 2008 at 13:31
How bad was the luck in the Man Scum game, both Ferdinand and Brown should have scored own goals except for Van der saars bloody skills, no luck for us this year in more games than 1!
April 15, 2008 at 13:35
There is precisely no chance of Ade either being sold or losing his place. Without his goals we would have been nowhere. Christ, most clubs would kill for a 20-goal a seson premiership player. Of course, he has room to improve but the problem has been no goals coming from anywhere else.
April 15, 2008 at 13:36
With all the respect to your football knowledge Pedro , to say Benzema is not proven goalscorer is just rubbish.. I guess he keeps goal machines like Treze and Canelka out of the France team for no reason
April 15, 2008 at 13:37
evo we ran out of luck back when we played seville last!
April 15, 2008 at 13:38
70 appearances… 23 goals, absolutely prolific Arsenaldo.
Is there something I am missing?
April 15, 2008 at 13:38
Oh and 3 french caps… he is hardly a regular.
April 15, 2008 at 13:40
BTW, Scuba, that story earlier was a cracker! a couple of good laughs in there!
April 15, 2008 at 13:42
Bring on July 19 vs Barnet…
April 15, 2008 at 13:42
Adebayor is not as effective right now because he has played in EVERY F*CKING MATCH all season long, with no break whatsoever. On a team where every other forward is not broken, he’d get a rest every now and then, which would keep him sharp. Remember earlier in the season when he was fresh and was bangin’ em in? Spurs match away anyone?
April 15, 2008 at 13:43
Lol at the people calling Ade useless, when he’s been our top scorer this season, has added a completely new style of attack that for previous seasons we’ve totally lacked, was the only striker to stay fit (all strikers will have off periods, that’s when others in the squad are meant to overlap – our form dipped becuase both Ade and Fabregas lost gas and nobody was able to pick up the slack), and when two of the finest defenders in the world consider him a mare. And clearly nobody’s been watching the corners we defend, either, as either head or hoof, it’s usually Ade protecting an entire 3×3x2m (big area to cover!) box that starts at the near post. He’s the one that gets most of them away – remember how frail we used to be at corners? Now the main threat on them comes from Bendtner!
April 15, 2008 at 13:46
Im not into stats too much ,but am watching Lyon games and see his control,running at defences, passing, heading, goals- all is top class. But we’ll never get him anyway because he costs alot and he’l end in manut, as they pay good money 4 top class players
April 15, 2008 at 13:48
Yeah Kanu Jnr’s game against the spuds was a cracker and he carried us during the ACN, he just needs to polish his final strike in the off season and bang, he will be on fire!
Bendtner to start the rest of the games for this season!
April 15, 2008 at 13:50
id use the rest of the season to try Theo out up front.
id also play Alex Song in centre midfield to see if he’s up to the job of replacing Gilberto next season.
Id also play Fabianski.
April 15, 2008 at 13:52
I reckon Song will be reasonable, he needs a few chances. His assist to Eduardo in the cup game earlier in the season was a cracker!
April 15, 2008 at 13:56
If Adebayor Is The Answer, Then It Was A Bloody Stupid Question!
didnt think that much of the article but the head line was a cracker !
i want to steer away from bashing ade .. I think it was just as much arsenes fault for overplaying him .. Id rather think or speculate about who are we seriously going to play over the next 4 games .. and how do we prepare for next season ?
It also seems hleb rumors are surfacing and flamini NOT signing once the year is over pretty much says to me he is SERIOUSLY weighing up his options ! money hungry bugger!
If players are thinking about leaving cesc(every season) flamini – hleb due to winning F.A again !..Why is it so hard for the ‘arsene knows brigade’ to have problems with some fans feeling the same way ???
one signing this summer maybe !..
if we have funds available …
all these slip ups that arsene is saying is starting to unnerve me ..
he says we have the class in the team then calls us naive every 2nd game ..
April 15, 2008 at 13:57
I am sure he is a great player, but when you buy goal scoring talent shouldn’t you look to the spanish or italian leagues if you want proven ability.
Benzema could be shite, just like Wiltord, Guivarch, Cisse and any other failed striker from over there was.
He could be great though… does he displace 26 goal Ade? Potential 30 goal a season RvP? Eddie… specialist finisher with 15?
Its tough to bring a new striker in and it is tougher to justify it if he is not top top class.
April 15, 2008 at 13:57
Young players who could make it to the first XI next season:
Vela LW
Lansbury CM
Barazite FW
Merida CM
Pedro LB/LW
Traore LB/LW
Nortdveit CB
Djourou (already in the team) CB
Other players like Wilshere could also make it but he doesn’t have a pro contract yet so he’s probably gonna have to wait 1-2 years.
The thing I really don’t like about this is that players like Vela, Traore and Pedro are gonna become fantatic players but we can’t really keep them all because they won’t be playing in prem/CL games unless it’s against the small teams and they’re gonna find it hard to break through into the first team because Clichy at LB is amazing and still only 22. They’ll play in the CC/FA cup games though.
The one experienced player is probably gonna be a CB, CM or winger (he’ll buy more if someone leaves). Now at CB we know that Toure’s class but he’s form has been really bad since January and Gallas is getting old and he relies on pace a lot.
A CM seems unlikely but if Gliberto leaves we will have Song, Diaby and Denilson who can still play there. If Flamini leaves that’s a different story.
On the wing we’ll have Hleb, Rosicky and then after that there’s Diaby/Eboue. Diaby looked good in one game on the wing and that was in the CL 2nd leg against Liverpool. As for Eboue, he has the potential to be amazing as he was against Inter in pre-season but hasn’t made much progress and should be RB cover cos Hoyte isn’t good enough in the big games. The other option will be unproven and young Vela so this seems a viable option.
Striker’s unlikely with Van Persie, Adebayor, Theo, Bendtner (more experienced now), Eduardo who will likely return in January as his recovery’s going well. Oh, Hleb and Rosicky can also play as a second striker, and there’s Vela so a new striker’s unlikely.
I hope it’s a winger or a CB because we lack good cover on the wings and Gallas/Toure partnership has been bad for the last two years apart from August-January.
Knowing Wenger though, he’s just playing his cards close to his chest and will buy whoever he thinks is necessary.
April 15, 2008 at 13:58
Mike, I write the blog, but I don’t play for Arsenal mate.
Just kidding, I am off for an hour now.
April 15, 2008 at 14:05
adebayor is only 24 look at drogba he didnt peek untill he was 27. adebayor is fast powerfull and good in the air. it took drogba a few seasons to start becoming great for chelsea and it will be the same for adebayor. He will become great. As fir Gattuso, flamini outclassed him in the San siro match and flamini is 24 fuck gattuso.
BENZEMA & NASRI PLEASE!!!
April 15, 2008 at 14:05
Out of that list I can only see Vela making it into the first team next year
April 15, 2008 at 14:06
yes ethan .. certain things dont make sense
i fear the wosst if hleb/flam were to leave and the effect it would have on cesc..etc ..
lets look at the bright side of things .. at worst, there will be one more season of this and then the club and wenger will implode for lack of results.. believe me, wenger knows he is on borrowed time, not so much versus the board, but versus the global world of football .. he is not driven by self glorification, but wants to be recognized with winning trophies in a certain way.. again, nothing wrong with that but I very strongly believe that he will have the integrity to call it a halt if/when he thinks that we are on the wrong track
he already acknowledged that he needs to win trophies and this means one more year of trying with what we got.. in any case, if money is not here now, clearly by the end of next season, it will be after the highbury development project is finished and 100MM will flock into our customers
April 15, 2008 at 14:09
sorry .. meant coffers
April 15, 2008 at 14:19
i believe that adebayor was offside 4 TIMES in the 1ST 4 MINUTES at either anfield or old trafford, that should go down in the book of records.
April 15, 2008 at 14:25
speaking of Wilshere, did anyone see him playing last night in the reserves game (on arsenal tv) – he was fantastic!! What a footballing brain that kid appears to have!
It was only Derby reserves mind you, but still – both he and Traore looked extremely promising. Skills can come, but Wilshere looks like hte real deal, the innate footballing genius
April 15, 2008 at 14:31
BB, my worry is that getting rid of Wenger is that it means going the whole hog – the Chelsea way – no other team of late has been able to change manager and stay successful, without a billionaire’s backing. That’s just not something I’m particularly prepared for; I want to retain the gaffer but spend what’s needed; I don’t want the club to get impatient and attempt a Tottenham/Liverpool/Newcastle makeover. Remember, the odds of winning silverware for any club are very low; the odds for us doing as well as we have this season were very low. Let’s improve our squad to improve those odds, but let’s not ignore that you might well have the very best manager alive, and a great squad, and still not win silverware. A lot of arsenal fans seem to think that spending is the solution, but if that gets out of hand, we might do something we really regret. Our players are barely any older now than they were a few seasons ago when we were excited about the future; that’s still not here yet, let’s give it a chance and not fuck it up prematurely.
April 15, 2008 at 14:36
Guys Wenger’s going nowhere, he loves Arsenal and we love him, he just needs to stop being stubborn and spend some money.
We need at least 1 if not 2 center backs because what we have is not going to win what we want to win.
We need a great goalie, we don’t have one now.
We need a winger, one that will make an instant impact.
We need a goalscorer, Anelka-esque.
That’s all and then we the squad we have, we’ll have the back up.
April 15, 2008 at 14:44
BREAKING NEWS.
———————-
Arsene Wenger Summer list out.(6 Singings)
Ronaldinho
Diego
Sergio Aguero
Gareth Barry
Christian Zapata
Gomes.
April 15, 2008 at 14:46
Bradley:
It’s not a question of the spending getting out of hand…….we’d just like to see some spending!!! £30 – £50M on 3/4 experienced is not spending getting out of hand.
I’m not sure that anyone really wants to get rid of Wenger; just as Geoff ,said he need to stop being so fucking stubborn!!!!
April 15, 2008 at 15:06
Hey guys, I have to go I’m about to board my flight, I’ll be posting on possible transfers tomorrow so get ready!
April 15, 2008 at 15:11
ScoobaGooner on above Arsene Diary’s:
BRILLIANT! Nice bit of positivity! Pedro – Should be put up on the Funnies page!
April 15, 2008 at 15:16
Pedro, Benzema might not have been prolific so far in his short career but he is proven quality & thats why Man Utd are trying to sign him as quickly as possible. Rooney had never scored more than 6 league goals in a season when Man Utd signed him for 30 million. Thats the difference between the two clubs, Ferguson will happily spend big on youngsters, but only ones that have a decent amount of experience & are pretty much running the teams they are at. Wenger on the other hand signs freebies & low cost youngsters that have never featured for their clubs. Its why so many of our young players just aren’t good enough & the majority of them end up being released.
As for Vela I still don’t understand why people are going on about him. He wasn’t impressive in that tournament last summer for Mexico U19’s & apart from the odd moment here & there has done nothing for Osasuna. He is being touted as a world beater based on a youtube clip of him beating Ramos of Real Madrid. He scored 8 goals in the spanish 2nd division & has scored 3 in la liga. Its unlikely he’ll score more in the premier league where teams don’t give you a second on the ball. He may become a great player but it won’t be for the forseeable future.
April 15, 2008 at 15:17
ScubaGooner and Geoff you are both spot on. Nobody I know actually wants him out, we are just questioning him. Le Boss is getting very stubborn in his old age and I am now worried it is holding us back. He justs seems to have blind loyalty to too many of his players.
April 15, 2008 at 15:27
Ok fine, I did say either move him to Director of football or get him an assistant with a bit more technical savvy than Pat Rice. That’s not quite the same as giving hin le boot is it?
April 15, 2008 at 15:31
I am not saying either that we should get rid of him..rather he will go by himself if he believes that his project is not fruitful .. and I think that we are not that far way from this .. probably only one season
April 15, 2008 at 15:45
odub / BB
to be honest i think most of the board plan on selling up to the Russian devils within the next year or 2 .. I don’t think they have any real drive to match the pace set by Man U or chevski ! .. I mean if raffa got these sort of results over the past 3 years he’d be out the door mate ! .. I mean the special 1 was getting results and he was out the door ..
How many managers bit the bullet this season ? …
Wenger needs to be afraid .. He should be !!!
But it seems the board are happy with his work !
somethings not right here!
April 15, 2008 at 15:49
I’m glad we don’t have a managerial merry go round like at other clubs, that we have a manager that believes in total football.
Wenger doesn’t want to buy on credit, we have enough of that on our plates at the moment
nd it just shows you how successful Arsenal are, that after all bills are paid we still have millions to spend. The club don’t need to gamble meaning we’ll never encounter a Leeds United style meltdown.
Any player Wenger will buy will be fully vetted and exactly to our standards, we still need to trust a man to do his job and we can’t go psycho with our finger on the trigger aimed at Wenger every time there’s a problem.
I’m glad Wenger will see us to the end of the contract……and that he’s a football man, he understands football better than almost anyone.
With some of the comments I’ve read recently, you’d think the guy is a total spacca,
but he’s got some clear ideas of how the club should move forward, and until the Eduardo incident everything was ticking along, if we had a setback we quickly recovered. Even up until two years ago Arsenal had not gone 3 games without a win under Arsene.
I don’t want a Jose style mr. chic, or a bossy aggressive type who tries to shit his players up or someone who can’t decide what their best team is.
We’ve got a problem here at Arsenal…..and I know just the man to fix it. Arsene Wenger.
April 15, 2008 at 16:19
We shouldnt sell anyone this summer with the exception of Gilberto if he wants to leave he should be allowed he has earnt it. We need an explosive forward capable of beating players and scoring out of nothing…. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Karim Benzema of Lyon. He would make the difference when we were not playing well and kill teams off when we were plus he is young and French i would say a perfect fit for Arsenal!
April 15, 2008 at 16:56
I think a world class striker such as Kun Aguero or Karim Benzema should be our nr.1 priority. We’ve got Rosicky and Hleb. Persie could replace Eboue on the right flank as well as Walcott. A double coup of Benzema and Ben Arfa would be fantastic. We need to re-impose ourselfs as the countrys greatest stiking force.
I have full confidance in the back four. I think it’s to soon do discard Senderos and Djourou is one of the freshest talent on the squad. And I am somewhat disappointed in Toure for not displaying more leadership. I think rather than buying experience I think players such as Flamini and Toure need to step up. Fabregas already has.
I think Song is a good enough replacement for Gilberto, if he goes.
There is a managerial phylosophy Jack Welch talks about alot that says that you should get ridd of the one who has a great performance level but a poor attitude and keep the one who has less of a performance level but a great attitude. I am not sure which one Gallas is. As Dixon pointed out his display of leadership has been extremely poor. And as another man said, leaders are born as such. I’m not sure if Gallas has the stuff. A great leader stands before his squad and picks then up when the going gets though!
This is Lehmans last season for Arsenal, no doubt. I think Gomes would be a great replacement. He’s tall, agile and has established himself as Hollands best goal keeper. Almunia has been great but he’s not a match winner.
COME ON ARSENAL! STEP UP!!
April 15, 2008 at 16:59
finestcut .. like Reyes or Rosicki??
April 15, 2008 at 17:00
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=559823&in_page_id=1779&ct=5
Jose Mourinho has just released a book called:
Jose Mournho, Born Winner
Here’s one of his quotes:
“In the whole history of the Premier League I was the first manager to become a champion in his first season.”
If you want to read a book about Jose Mournho bigging himself up, go and buy it.
April 15, 2008 at 17:02
Its been a slow days blogging… I think people have lost all enthusiasm now the season is over!
When is the Emirates cup?
I hope you are all right about Benzema. I seem to remember everyone being this excited about Cisse when he went to the pool.
I just put that diary entry by Scuba… that was funny, did he make that up? Marvellous.
I’m finding it very hard to get up for the Reading game…
April 15, 2008 at 17:08
i think benzema will probably end up at man u and we will get ben arfa…
they won’t go to the same team as they have had a “tiff” also which is why arfa is not getting a lot of games at lyon…
we need a CB.. that is the priority… add a goalkeeper in there as well…
that is of the utmost importance… we need more clean sheets.. we will always score goals… but we need to keep them out of our own net.
April 15, 2008 at 17:16
I think Toure is having a mid-career crisis. His trademark smile has disappeared and he has worried expression etched on his face.
April 15, 2008 at 17:23
With Vela coming back next season and hopefully Ben Arfa coming, if we bought a Diego or De Gusman a midfielder who can hit double figures in goals and cause Rosicky gets injured too often we’d win the league no doubt. Get rid of Senderos and bring in Kompany or Zapata keep Djourou and Song and we’d be fucking sorted. We don’t need big changes just one or two more options. Fucking amazing if we could swap Bendtner for Benzema
April 15, 2008 at 17:24
I think Ade is alright as long as he stays in the box like a target man should. If he wants to do all the thierry henry stuff (go left and dribble your way in, or play 1-2’s with skilled players like cesc/hleb with his poor touch) he should go.
April 15, 2008 at 17:32
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&xml=/sport/2008/04/15/ufnarsmen115.xml
The menu in this article is funny (for those with a sense of humor)
April 15, 2008 at 17:45
Pedro –
I’d like to take the credit but it wasn’t penned by me. A girlfriend emailed it; she thought I’d appreciate the humour – still waiting to find where and how she got it. I thought I’d post it because let’s face there are some very, very funny lines in there and god knows we could all do with the laugh!!!
I can’t think as far as the Emirates Cup just yet but it’s the weekend of the 2nd/3rd August. Not sure when the tickets go on sale – they might be already.
I know exactly how you feel about Reading!!
April 15, 2008 at 17:48
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/index.php/2008/04/15/arsenal-gossip-special-which-teammates-fought-at-anfield-who-is-next-seasons-captain-and-more
April 15, 2008 at 17:49
We have until Thursday 17th April to purchase tickets for our seats!!
Fuck me; AFC must need the money in quick for the transfer budget!!
We can forget any big signings then!!
April 15, 2008 at 17:51
Good write-up, but you got one thing wrong… The interview that you refer and use an example of him being arrogant was misinterpreted in most of the pages and I think it threw your opinion of the guy way off. What he said (as I watched it couple of times and had the same argument with couple of my friends) in it was that he always strives to do the best he can, prove himself and to be the best on his team and even if he was teammates of Thierry and Eto’o he will strive to keep them on the bench, NOT that he is better than them.. I see NOTHING wrong with wanting to be the best in your job.. and nothing arrogant about that. On the contrary Ade has always gone out of his way to show his appreciation for everybody and struck me with VERY team-oriented guy.. (selfless)
Other than that very good article, I enjoyed reading it.
April 15, 2008 at 18:10
My first game for some time is Reading. And I am just not excited about it. Flying all the way over to sit with a stadium full of depressed Gooners is not my idea of fun. Still, we could come good and have an enjoyable day.
The last time I can recall this lack of interest was post Chelsea in the CL a few years back.
But, we have had so much to enjoy this season, and I am getting p’eed off with the attacks on the team. These are the very same fans who were telling us that the league was won at Xmas.
As to the Ade debate, I believe he will become an Arsenal great. It is a nonsense to suggest we sell him. As one blogger very wisely said, … ask opposition fans if they would sign him.? And everyone including the Mancs would say ‘yes’. Sure he has serious faults but look at TH14, DB10, & Ian Wright at 23 y.o
Two years of learning his trade and we will have an outstanding player. For a player in development to score 26= goals is outstanding. He deserves his own song.
Having said that, he can be so frustrating, what with his arrogances and lack of control,
April 15, 2008 at 18:16
I don’t think we should get rid of Ade cos he gives us options and in all fairness isn’t all that bad but i don’t think he is Arsenal quality to be our leading man and doesn’t link up with his strike partner at all… always plays the ball back to midfield or over to the wings so he can get into the box when sometimes it would be a mucher better idea to roll a ball into an on running Strike partner who would be in on goal.
It wasn’t just the goals that made Henry and DB great it was the assists and link up play and i feel We could do with a player with a bit more quality.
For what it would cost to get Benzema i personally would rather Vagner Love… quicker, just as strong on the ball, more skillful, can finish with either foot or his head.
He’s experienced at club level and is starting to come to the fore for the Brazil national squad yet still only 24. He can handle cold weather so wont be doing a Reyes/Baptista and also has experience on those fucking dreadful fake turf pitches that we struggle on in the CL, that more clubs in Europe are looking at getting… what a fucking stupid idea.
On a seperate note…..
Spoke to my mate earlier who’s just moved to Yorkshire and he said that him and his mates up there have found a new way of taking ecstasy. They inject it into their mouths.
They are calling it E by gum
I’ll get my coat
April 15, 2008 at 18:36
Raddy –
Tough luck mate on your choice of game; could’ve been so different – but hey; when you’ve been supporting the Gunners as long as us we should know by now!!
Yeah; I remember the low after the chavs……
I hope the sun is shining; we beat Reading 6 – 1 (gallas own goal
) and you have a great trip!!
April 15, 2008 at 18:43
Adebayor is not good enough to start for Arsenal. I don’t think he should be sold but used as a sub. If you take away those goals Adebayor scored and just watch his performance it is horrible. He also doesn’t create any of his goals like van Persie can that’s why we need another striker who can partner van Persie for next season who is a clinical finisher. Bendtner I feel should be sold though.
April 15, 2008 at 18:49
Sagna – “I could stay at Arsenal all my career”
Dont you just love Bacary Sagna!! for me the highlight of this season was watching him play for us. We needed a player to fill the No.3 shirt & he has done us proud.
Sometimes during season i wished we had 10 other players with his desire & ability…
Personally i hope he does stay already in my eyes fast becoming an Arsenal legend….
Thanks for your efforts this season Sagna, it really showed towards the end how important you are to this Arsenal team… & long my u continue to be a ‘gooner’……
April 15, 2008 at 19:10
Sagna has been a revelation for the team, quickly dispencing the myth of bedding in periods, just lets the fuckers play football, thats there jobs.
big raddy enjoy the match, irrespective of the current conditions a trip to the emirates is to be relished IMO
April 15, 2008 at 19:17
I think in an ideal world Ade should be our third striker behind -a fit V Persie and a fit Eduardo. Bendtner being the young stiker plying his trade with a a few 15 mins here and there anlong witht he odd game alongside one of the more proven strikers.
The fact of the matter is that Adebayor is good- will never be great. His poor first touch,lack of compusre and lack of awareness on the pitch just make hima decent striker-far from world class. When u compare RVP, Bendtner and Eduardo in receiving the ball from a midfielder there tuch is usually impecable carrying them into a posn to make a nother pass or turn at the defender. Adebayor -will neve be able to do that.
The problem I fear is that he feels Adebayor is now the man-which he is far fom. With the chances he has gotten in the season he should have at least 40 goals. He’ll never be a great striker.
As far as what we need for next season:
Keep the following
Almunia-really a backup keeper
Sagna
Clichy
Toure
Gallas
Eboue/Hoyte-backup RB
Senderos/Djourou-keep one not both
Flamster
Diaby-Flamster’s Backup
Cesc
Rosicky-Cesc’s backup in the centre of midfield
Denilson- youngster
Hleb-he does the same on the right as in the middle-break oppsositon down but does not score or make cross or final pass.
Adebayor
V.Persie
Bendtner
Walcott-one of two explosive players we have- the other being RVP
so that’s a 17 man squad so we six players
GK-get Jussi from bolton or Gomes from PSV
LB-Traore is the supposed fit but i think it shud be Gallas
CB- Enquire about Mexes since Woodgate is with Spuds-Steven Taylor is an option as well
LWM-really shud be Ribery but i think Gamst Pedersen would fit in (good pace,passing ability,scores and has prem experience) and get Ben Arfa from Lyon
RWM-Theo and Hleb shud alternate here
Striker- I think we need to get one (cant count on RVP plyng full season Eduardo is out )
So LWM*2 CB*1 GK*1 STK *1 and possibly an RWM*1 (raid Blackburn for Gamst and Bentley-get him back)
4 plyrs out – 6 plyrs in .
C’mon Arsene
April 15, 2008 at 19:35
Thank you Arsene for signing Bacary Sagna.
And thank you Bacary; for showing your passion for football and this club from your first minute in an Arsenal shirt, not to mention your undoubted ability!! You are indeed a welcome addition to AFC.
If Arsene’s signs another 3/4 Bacary Sagna’s in the summer we will be laughing all the way to the top of EPL and lifting the UCL next May!!!
Sagna is the one thing everyone on Le Grove agrees about…
April 15, 2008 at 19:37
Thanks Scuba,
April 15, 2008 at 19:41
Arsenal fans please blow your pains away beause Arsenal will surely win trophy next season.
April 15, 2008 at 19:46
& Chris Thanks (read your post late). Of course I love going to the matches. Christ, I have seen enough …. both home and away.
I will bring this up a few times, but what is/has been your favourite chant ? I loved ‘Alan Shearer is a Homosexual’. It had great rhythm , was funny and blatantly untrue. I started it everytime he came to THOF.
And then I love ‘You’re shit and you know you are’. What does it mean – ‘you know you are’? Brilliant.
Of course there is ‘Veiera’, which was just made for him, the rhyme of ‘he comes from Senegal, He plays for Arsenal’ , was a work of genius.
So, what do you like?
April 15, 2008 at 19:53
Sagna is a legend in the making… signing of the season in my opinion
April 15, 2008 at 20:12
Im late reading the blog today, was very busy at work. Again another relevant piece that needed to be said but wouldnt be dare mentioned on some other sites. I agree on Adebayor, hes been very luck this season to score so many, and even when he was scoring I never really rated him as he had such a dire first touch and made so many mistakes, its due to the players around him that he scored so many easy tap ins. Eduardo is a far superior striker so lets hope he gets over his injury completely as I really rate this guy. Finally I think we’re stuck with big head Adebayor as youve rightly pionted out that Wenger never drops his favourites and Wenger never changes.
April 15, 2008 at 20:12
I’ve always had a soft spot for 1 nil to the Arsenal…..
I lost my voice for four days after Copenhagen – memories of walking around the town all night/early morning and all you could hear was that chant…..got to back to the hotel about 6am and people were still outside singing – anyways, lost my voice; got back and we went up to the town hall parade and voice my voice again for another 4 days………
April 15, 2008 at 20:14
ands those were the days when we knew how to keep a clean sheet!!!!
April 15, 2008 at 20:27
Im hearing that Hleb is on the way to Milan at the end of the season. I know most of you rate this guy but I dont. Hes driven me crazy for the last couple of years with his inability to shoot and his constant whingeing about getting kicked. Ronaldo gets twice as much abuse as Hleb. Im also amazed at his lack of stamina.
April 15, 2008 at 20:41
Scuba, I was there that day in CPH. My first visit (strange to think I live here now) The streets around the Parken were full of Gooners. The stadium was just amazing, the noise level constant. I was sitting near John Jensen (now at Getafe). The noise at the final whistle was mental.
We had 2a.m. flight home, and got back to London totally mashed.
As you say the Islington Town Hall bash was fantastic. I have aerial photos of the area and it wass wall to wall Gooners. Must have been haf a million of us. Wonderful memories, and as you say the soundtrack was ‘One -Nil to the Arsenal.
Thanks for the memory trip…
April 15, 2008 at 20:44
And in my humble opinion, Hleb is a genius. Should he leave I will be gutted, and there will be an unfillable hole in the team where his mastery of the dribble and short pass shone.
You guysweren’t slating him earlier in the season. I seem to recall people saying that Hleb, Flamini and Cesc were the best midfield in the World. They still are ONE of the best.
April 15, 2008 at 21:30
Re Ade, yes he has scored against the big teams but remember the goal against Liverpool was a tap in, created by Walcott, same with the Milan game, and the latest Man U goal was handball.
TH14 created plenty of goals and scored and missed chances.
Ade misses more than he scores and does not create that much.
But yes he had a good run of scoring, but has been found out without Eduardo.
April 15, 2008 at 22:30
Re: ade. Of course. Lets not forget that he played up front ALONE for long periods this season and that is not easy. Ask Henry and Rooney who have not mastered that role. Ade is far from the finished article but have you ever seen a striker come on in the speed that he did from last year to this?
Up front along side a top class forward such as eto, or dare i say, a fit and form Henry and he would be a great foil and offer the plan B.
His exploits this year put him ahead of RVP for me. Robin needs to get off to a flyer next season IMO. But we cannot rely on him staying fit. So someone must be signed.
Fabiano, Eto or Benzema for me. Fabiano is most likely. But we should sign young Gourfran. Great finisher and great pace.
Also a wide man is needed. I dont know how good Vela is, But Robinho is qualilty, frustrated at Madrid could play either flank and in behind the front man. Guarenteed 20 goals a season all comps.
Zapata or Kompany at the back.
De Guzman to take the pressure off/compete with Flam and Fab.
Jaskelian. Poor spelling I know. I wont commit to learning how to spell it until he signs!
Fabiano Adebeyor
Robinho Cesc Flamini Hleb
Clichy Kompany Gallas Sagna
Jaskelianan
Competing for places
Almunia
Toure
Eboue
De Guzman
Diaby
RVP
Gourfran
Walcott
April 15, 2008 at 23:22
you one of the funniest arsenal blogger haha.. and i like ur analysis.. keep up the good work.. better then myles(fucking gay) and better blogg then arseblog,gunneblog the best thing would be if you work with arsenal analysis.. it’s like arsenal having kaka and c.ronaldo in arsenal
if u digg what i’m saying… gunnersuppoter in sweden..
April 15, 2008 at 23:52
benzema scored AGAIN this evening.. this guy it just clearly class, wenger may avoid buying him as every kunt on planet earth knows he is going to be a monster, total monster.
if utd get him, start handing out the premiership in august for a good 5 years.
April 16, 2008 at 00:06
Hleb is our second most important player after Fabregas.
April 16, 2008 at 00:54
Just a quick 1. Adebayor: He’s done a good job for most of this season but the difference is his loss of touch over the course of it. Previously he was scoring AND playing well, now he’s just getting a few tap in’s. However, I don’t think the blame is on him as he’s had to cope up front on his own and is still learning (hopefully). Elsewhere Eboue has to be kept as a back up right back, wenger should forget about him as a right winger as he’s too predictable and mostly makes the wrong decisions. We’ve got too many players we’re hoping come good and I think we’ll need more than this. I think David Villa would be a great buy for us as he’s the kind of striker who can make something and his all round play is good. Hopefully we’ll get another centre back to challenge toure and gallas (most hopefully the latter). Maybe a winger, which would allow diaby to be used to rotate with fab and flam. Finally a goal keeper, I think Kameni could be a good choice. It’s gonna be hard making signings though cos the Euro is gonna boost prices!
April 16, 2008 at 01:57
ade is a good player, he scored a lot this season, our problem is goals from midfield.
April 16, 2008 at 02:13
winks
ade NEVER played well all season !!!!!
you just forget conveniently like everyone else when he was GIFTING us with goals !
his 1st touch didn’t disappear it was always shit !
he hasn’t scored an assist all season !
NO WONDER HES THE TOP SCORER AT THE CLUB !
think about it !!!
I knew he never passed off , but odub’s stats yesterday confirmed it !
Is this the sort of greedy cunt you want partnering in a 4-4-2 ???
I said it the other day playing RVP and ade , you might as well be down to
10 men because RVP wont get a look in !
How right i was !
Pedro the reason the blog is slow is because we are depressed and the only
people writing are the AKB brigade . Telling us who is great .. ade is great
sorry alot of people need to open there eyes to the reason why we lost this season
and ade played a key factor in it ! With his greediness he needed to maintain
par with ronaldo for goals scored !! but he cant because he has no class ! he cant score from more than
6 foot away from goal ! he’s always offside and he NEVER passes to anyone other than midfield so he can greedily get a better position in the box ! he gives possession away to easy by hitting dead ends or falling over his own feet !
what is there honestly to like about him ????
he is frustrating to watch and repeats the same errors like groundhog day !!!
winks i do agree with you about david villa however !
he has the class to work with out midfield and not spew up possession …
April 16, 2008 at 03:02
In response to
ades our plan B
How can anyone call ade our PLAN B ? in order to be a plan b you must be sitting on the bench and come in to change the course of a game ! He has started more times this season than any other striker ! So what you mean to say is we start with Plan B and our benchs lacks so much depth that we have no other option !
Well that was apparent V’s man U on Sunday … Man U a goal down introduces there plan B and wins the game… We don’t have any other plan other than our 1st 11 !
if they cant do it with them ! we are screwed ..
And as for people saying Oh ade’s great but he’s far from the finished article !
Well if he is far from the finished article then IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH For a club of our statue ? I think you answer your own question every time you make that statement
its just tiring to read !
Yes ade is the plan B we’ve been looking for , unfortunately we have NO PLAN A anymore ..
and yes ade is far from the finished article ! thats obvious just watching him play !
but a quality club like arsenal shouldn’t have an unfinished article in the starting line up every week !
April 16, 2008 at 03:24
Adebayor is a large part of the reason Hleb never scores.
April 16, 2008 at 04:17
Let’s all stop complaining about Ade,. Yes he misses quite a few chances, so does Rooney, Torres and our legendary hero Henry. He is still learning his trade and can improve as he did last year to this year. Worthy of note is that he the 4th best in the EPL based on goals per minute played, only bettered by Ronaldo, Defoe and Torres.
Not to say that we can’t get another clinical striker but it would be absurd to get rid of Ade at this juncture. He has proven he can score in the EPL but just about any other striker we get will need time to acclimatize and get their feet wet and who is to say they will score 20+ goals in the EPL. Another factor to consider is that he has not really had a chance to form a scoring partnership due to injuries of RVP and Eduardo and has many times had to play up front by himself. He also brings other attributes to the game Arsenal style with his pace, movement and defensive backtracking which had defenders like Rio Ferdinand saying he was a nightmare to play against.
Yes, he needs some humility, yes, he needs to improve in order to become one of the best, but for right now he is still one of the top EPL strikers. In fact, ACTIM, the highest profile and well renowned statistical entity rated him as the 3rd best player in the EPL.
Yes, although I have not seen the games, all reports about Traore at left wing have been dotted with superlatives as with with the second coming of a new 16 year old English midfielder Jack Wilshere who is already playing for the reserves a few months after being signed to contract.
April 16, 2008 at 04:24
Get your facts correct, Ade had 3 assists, Eduardo 5, Bendtner 3, Flamini 2, Hleib 7, Sagna 4, Clichey 4, Fab 17, Denilson 2, Rosicky 2, Walcott 2.
Read that as you may as per the official EPL site. Only Fab and Hleib had more assists, and Ade is playing as the striker.
April 16, 2008 at 04:25
My bad, Eduardo had 5.
April 16, 2008 at 05:58
CaribKid
what ever makes you sleep better at night .
im not conserned about missing chances ! i can live with that !
its quality ! NOW that we are missing ! ..
I dont think youve listened to a single thing people have said about the chump !
April 16, 2008 at 07:08
I think big man Ade has been terrific this season. He is the second best striker in the league and has scored just 3 goals less than Torres( incidentally T scored 4 in a carling cup match against reading). Rooney & Tevez dont even come close even tho i agree that rooney has more assists. So wat is all this criticism about ?? Yeah he has the big E bug but who hasnt.. I would give him a break..
April 16, 2008 at 09:06
Everyone has their opinion on Ade but go and look on todays new post, that will bring out the debaters!
April 16, 2008 at 09:09
Couldnt agree more Bops!! Iam tired of hearing how $h!t Ade is ,yet the same critics cheered like mad when he scored on sunday and against Man-Ure last season!! he Edu incident seemed to have shaken him and most of the squad who were nearby that witnessed the horrible tackle. I think they need terapy to get over that incident.
Dont care what anyone else says, Ade’s kept himself fit most of the season, worked very hard to get where he is and yeah, he’s missed chances but so did Henry the Great and Ade doesnt throw a strop or blame others if he fails to score!
April 16, 2008 at 09:11
So David Villa & De Guzman want to join us, no doubt come August they’ll be lining up in a spuds or liverpool shirt. The moment anyone says they want to join us Wenger ignores them.
Can’t say I know too much about De Guzman but Villa is a completely different prospect.
April 16, 2008 at 09:33
yeah GMR, that usually is the case.Ryan Babel’s a good example, he claimed a few times that arsenal were interested and in talks with his agent, only to find out that wasnt the case.I was really pissed off when he signed for liverpooh.
Youan Gouffran and Ben Afra have both been linked with arsenal and wenger said on the arsenal.com site that he’s an admirer of Ben Afra…lets see what happens coupled with the fact Wenger has said also that he’s no afraid to splash out”if he has to”!!
April 16, 2008 at 09:45
Testing 123.
April 16, 2008 at 09:46
That’s better.
April 16, 2008 at 10:12
Hi Steve, had a problem posting comments too? Took about 10mins before mine registered. I wonder why…
April 16, 2008 at 11:17
Enjoy Saturday big Raddy. How about Born is the king of Highbury (Brady) . Can anyone make up the words to a song for the Perc, try using Mercy by Duffy. Robin Van Persie Etc. Ade bashers you can fuck off. He scores tap ins eh. Well for fucking years people complained that TH14 and co don’t score tap ins and headers so what happens. We find a player who does and then say he is shit. Yes he misses shed loads,however he has played alone up top almost all season, another reason for lack of assists maybe. He scores spectacular goals too. Spuds away, Newcastle away. Ade also gets in to the position to either score or miss chances unlike some god like hero’s of yesteryear who hugged the touchlines when a CB gave out some punishment. Ade isn’t the best striker around but he will be. Hopefully at AFC. Other teams CB think he is a monster of a player and the red nosed cunt tried to pach him last season. He stayed, he is loyal and with a partner up front and a Goalkeeper we would have pissed the Prem this year. Theo down the middle with Ade and RVP floating around the edge of the box or RW as he did for NL. Keep Jens in for rest of season and sign any fucking keeper playing for an half decent team as they will be better than what we have at the moment.
April 16, 2008 at 11:22
Big Raddy, Born is the king of Highbury ( Charlie George, Charlie Nicholas and king Liam). Walking in an Ade wonderland (DB 10s) song. Sagna you have been the nuts this year man keep it up.
April 16, 2008 at 14:42
The first dude is a bit crazy! anyway we are close and believe me would have won the league given better and fairer referee decisions! we are third and cauld finsh second, now how could this team need that many changes? come on dude!
April 16, 2008 at 23:11
Gattusso is too slow
April 17, 2008 at 07:58
sorry but i love ade.